Time Warner Cable has been forced to remove 17 channels from its recently released iPad app, the company announced today.

Citing "overwhelming demand," the cable provider said that after users started downloading its free iPad app yesterday, its systems, which are used to authenticate a user to watch its programming, were hit hard, "causing an inability for some customers to download it on Tuesday evening." In order to provide customers with some service as Time Warner Cable updates the app, the company has reduced the number of available channels down to 15 from the 32 that were available at launch.

"We apologize that some of our customers who attempted to use the new TWCableTV app for the iPad were unable to do so last night," Time Warner Cable President and COO Rob Marcus said in a statement. "While we anticipated that the app would be popular, the demand was overwhelming. We are sorry for any frustration and inconvenience our customers experienced."

Time Warner Cable's TWCable TV app hit Apple's marketplace yesterday. The app allows Time Warner Cable television and Internet customers to watch programming from a variety of networks, including A&E, Bravo, Discovery, and others over Wi-Fi in their homes. The company's programming cannot be accessed away from the customer's house over a 3G network.

Time Warner Cable says that its reduction in available channels is only temporary and will help "to ease strain on the authentication process while we work on a permanent fix." However, it didn't say when it will be restoring the removed channels.

A company representative did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Updated at 4:22 a.m. PT on March 17: Time Warner Cable has brought the 17 channels back to its iPad app. Everything should be working normally now.

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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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